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Legal Ethics
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June 27, 2025
2nd Circ. Mulls Arguments In NY Atty Grievance Privacy Suit
A Second Circuit panel has questioned whether a pathway exists to limit the scope of "presumptive public access" to attorney grievance documents in New York, as the panel considers the state's appeal of a federal district court ruling that would make records related to attorney misconduct cases public.
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June 27, 2025
Sunbeam Says 'Reptile Theory' Tactics Doom $8.8M Verdict
Sunbeam Products Inc. and parent company Newell Brands Inc. want a new trial in a case where a woman won an $8.8 million verdict on claims that a slow cooker made by the companies left her with burns, asserting that her attorneys committed misconduct aimed at using "Reptile Theory" to inflame the jury.
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June 27, 2025
Court Urged To Push Ex-GC To Provide Co. Laptop Password
E-commerce company Storehouse In A Box has asked a federal judge in Michigan to issue a preliminary injunction and temporary restraining order against its former general counsel and chief operating officer, arguing he refused to give the company access to a laptop that the company provided and used the company's trade secrets for his benefit.
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June 27, 2025
Calif. Panel Tosses Hacking Case Against Ex-LA Prosecutor
A California state appeals court has ordered the dismissal of criminal claims against former Los Angeles Assistant District Attorney Diana Teran over her use of public sheriff's deputy files contained in a "confidential" database.
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June 27, 2025
Ga. Panel Fines Atty For 'Blatant Lack Of Professionalism'
The Georgia Court of Appeals on Friday backed the dismissal of a lawyer's libel suit against opposing counsel over a discovery dispute in a personal injury case, going so far as to slap the attorney with a fine for wasting its time with the "frivolous" appeal.
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June 27, 2025
2 Firms Accused Of Vexatious Litigation Over Property Liens
Law firms Neubert Pepe & Monteith PC and Cuddy & Feder LLP have been sued by a Greenwich, Connecticut, couple who claim the firms misused the court system in order to delay payouts they were owed by a property owner, including a stake in a $7.9 million judgment in New York.
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June 27, 2025
BNP Alleges 'Coaching' In Refugee Case Sanctions Bid
BNP Paribas has asked a Manhattan federal judge to open a sanctions investigation into plaintiffs' attorneys leading a long-running suit alleging the bank had a hand in funding human rights violations perpetrated by the former Sudanese government, accusing the attorneys of "coaching" prospective class members to submit potentially falsified claims.
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June 27, 2025
NC Biz Court Bulletin: Last-Minute Settlements Head Off Trials
Untouched by the summer slump, the North Carolina Business Court kicked off June with a sanctions order against a biogas company caught spurning court orders and a new complaint by a former NFL player accusing his longtime financial adviser of defrauding him for decades.
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June 26, 2025
Kirkland Stops Repping Novartis After Regeneron Sought DQ
A New York federal judge accepted the withdrawal Thursday of the entire Kirkland & Ellis LLP team that recently joined Novartis Pharma's legal team battling antitrust allegations over the eye medication Eylea, just a week after plaintiff Regeneron Pharmaceuticals sought their disqualification over an "unthinkable" conflict of interest by the lawyers, whose firm previously represented Regeneron.
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June 26, 2025
Fla. Lawyers Suspended For Online Criticism Of Judge
Florida's high court on Thursday approved a one-month suspension for a father-daughter team of attorneys for their online comments criticizing a judge who reversed a $2.75 million jury verdict in favor of a doctor who sued for discrimination, finding that there were also mitigating factors in the attorneys' cases.
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June 26, 2025
Ex-Trump Atty Chesebro Disbarred In NY For Fake Elector Plot
President Donald Trump's former attorney Kenneth Chesebro, the so-called "architect" in the plot to use fake electors to overturn Georgia's 2020 election results, has been disbarred from practicing law in the state of New York, according to a unanimous decision issued on Thursday.
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June 26, 2025
Del. Justices Mull New Appeal In $1.5B Pipeline Co. Cashout
An attorney for cashed-out minority unitholders of Boardwalk Pipeline Partners LP urged Delaware's Supreme Court to consider whether a controlling investor's interests "subverted" a crucial attorney fairness opinion used to justify a 2018, $1.5 billion deal that took the company private.
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June 26, 2025
Conn. Atty Can't Intervene In Ex-Partner's Digital Data Bid
Connecticut Trial Firm LLC co-founder Ryan McKeen cannot intervene in a discovery bid launched by his former 50-50 law partner Andrew Garza because the proceeding is not a "civil action" under the relevant statute, a state court judge has ruled.
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June 26, 2025
Ex-McCarter & English Atty Questioned On Bias Pleading
A New Jersey state judge pressed a former McCarter & English LLP attorney on Thursday to show how his anti-veteran discrimination complaint against the firm met the pleading standards for a whistleblower suit as he faces the firm's motion to dismiss.
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June 26, 2025
9th Circ. Rejects Amazon's Bid To Claw Back Antitrust Docs
A Ninth Circuit panel has summarily refused to reverse a Washington federal court ruling that rejected Amazon's bid to claw back documents inadvertently produced in a trio of proposed antitrust class actions.
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June 26, 2025
Conn. Firm Says Judge 'Overlooked' Key Case In Dismissal
Connecticut employment law firm Hayber McKenna & Dinsmore LLC has asked a state judge to reconsider her decision to trim abuse of process claims from its suit against attorneys for restaurants who sued the firm over underlying labor class actions, saying she "must have overlooked" important state Supreme Court precedent.
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June 25, 2025
2nd Circ. Blocks Reed Smith Doc Turnover Order In Eletson Row
The Second Circuit on Wednesday granted Reed Smith LLP's emergency motion to stay a Manhattan federal judge's order to turn over client files amid a conflict over the legitimate ownership of international shipping company Eletson, which is in a dispute with competitor Levona.
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June 25, 2025
Swiss Re Says Botched Representation Led To Inflated Deal
Swiss Re told an Illinois federal court Wednesday that counsel representing it in underlying actions related to a medical malpractice suit failed to adequately advise and defend the reinsurer, consequently forcing it into a large settlement even though its coverage had not yet been triggered.
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June 25, 2025
Paxton Deputy Accused Of Pressuring Impeachment Witnesses
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's second-in-command tampered with witnesses during Paxton's impeachment, fabricated sexual harassment allegations and misused state funds, according to a state bar complaint and federal lawsuit filed by two of Paxton's former top deputies.
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June 25, 2025
State Gets Second Chance Despite Delays, Pa. Court Rules
A trial court erred in dismissing a criminal case against a man who was accused of illegally possessing firearms due to excessive delays, the Pennsylvania Superior Court said, finding that lapsed time was not entirely attributable to the commonwealth and should therefore not prevent prosecution.
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June 25, 2025
Judge OKs Most Of Attorney Fees In MGM Vax Exemption Suit
A Michigan federal judge on Wednesday awarded nearly $394,000 in attorney fees to a former MGM Grand Casino worker who won a religious bias suit after being fired for refusing the COVID-19 vaccine, slightly cutting the requested award after reducing hours because of discrepancies between two submissions.
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June 25, 2025
Latino Atty Says Va. Law Firm Axed Him For Flagging Bias
An employee-side law firm repeatedly stood in the way of a Latino attorney's career advancement, underpaid him, and fired him after he advocated for increasing a Black attorney's pay to match that of a white colleague, a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Maryland federal court said.
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June 25, 2025
Watchdog Targets US Atty Over Arrests, Probes Of NJ Officials
The legal ethics watchdog Campaign for Accountability on Wednesday accused interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba of an "abuse of power" over her office's recent investigations and arrests of New Jersey officials and called for an ethics investigation.
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June 25, 2025
3rd Circ. Pick Emil Bove Says He's 'Not Anybody's Henchman'
Emil Bove, nominee for the Third Circuit, who previously served as President Donald Trump's criminal attorney and was a top acting official at the U.S. Department of Justice earlier this year, where he took various controversial actions, made his case on Wednesday for judicial confirmation.
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June 25, 2025
Texas Magistrate Recommends Tossing La. Hurricane Ad Suit
A Texas magistrate judge has recommended that a litigation funder and a Houston-area attorney be freed from a proposed class action that alleges a law firm engaged in deceptive advertising targeting hurricane victims in Louisiana.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem
The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.
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Series
Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer
The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.
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Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: June Lessons
In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy considers two recent decisions from the Third and Tenth Circuits, and identifies practice tips around class action settlements and standing in securities litigation.
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Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule
Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.
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After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1
The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.
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Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers
BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.
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Series
Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.
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Money, Money, Money: Limiting White Collar Wealth Evidence
As courts increasingly recognize that allowing unfettered evidence of wealth could prejudice a jury against a defendant, white collar defense counsel should consider several avenues for excluding visual evidence of a lavish lifestyle at trial, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
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How Associates Can Build A Professional Image
As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.
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Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age
As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing
When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Series
Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer
There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.
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Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians
Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent
As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.
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Series
Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge at Robinson Bradshaw.